Innocent
by Reign of Rayne
Summary: (Some spoilers for CA 2 referenced) After Bucky has been taken in by the Avengers, he finds that getting back to real life is far more difficult than he imagined, especially when super heroes are involved. Sequel to The Fall of Winter.
1. Chapter 1

**I highly recommend that my readers look at _The Fall of Winter _prior to reading ****this story, as this one is a direct sequel to my other one. **

Prologue

Out on the open ocean, a large cargo ship was being tossed around on the waves. Thunder rumbled in the distance, so loud and forceful it seemed to shake the ship itself even as waves battered any crew member unlucky enough to be caught in the elements.

"Bring her to port!" The captain yelled, desperately trying to keep his ship under control. He'd been told by his employer that this was a very important shipment, and the captain couldn't allow a storm to sink his ship.

"She's not responding, sir!" His first mate yelled back. "There's something wrong with her engine!"

"Then fix it!"

Even yelling was barely able to overcome the noise of the furious elements, and the ocean waves were enough to make even experienced sailors seasick. Lightning flashed in the distance, momentarily blinding everyone. However, it also lit up an approaching ship that was making its way across the roaring ocean.

Multiple crew members began to cheer, thinking the ship meant help. However, the captain wasn't so sure. He tried to activate his radio, but after his last SOS, the apparatus had stopped working.

"Sir!" A man yelled fearfully, "they're pirates!"

The jubilant yells of the men were instantly silenced.

"Everyone to the main cabin!" The captain ordered. "We'll try to keep them out of the navigation!"

"What about the cargo?" The first mate asked, struggling with the steering as rain pounded against the windows.

"That cargo isn't worth our lives," the captain snapped.

As the crew had been talking, the pirate vessel - a sleek, black ship designed for rough seas - had pulled alongside the cargo ship and the pirate crew was currently climbing on board. They fanned out quickly, searching the ship.

"Is anyone not here?" The captain demanded. "Now would be a very good time to tell me, _before_ the pirates find them.'

"We're all here, sir," the first mate replied after doing a quick head check.

"Good. Lock the doors and close the windows.

Before the cabin was shut away from the rest of the ship, the captain could see the pirates searching through the cargo, and couldn't help but wonder if that was why the pirates had attacked the ship in the first place.

Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door, followed by a desperate, "let me in!" Every crew member exchanged a glance and the first mate looked confused.

"Everyone's here," he repeated, counting off again. Then his eyes widened. "No, Doug isn't!"

"Quick, open the door!" The captain ordered. Two men quickly opened the door and froze when they saw who was outside. As the rain poured through the open doorway, a man stepped in, holding something. It was one of the crew members, but he had a triumphant smirk on his face and a gun in his hands.

"Doug, what is the meaning of this?" The captain demanded. The man named Doug grinned wider.

"Took me forever to get on this ship," he replied, "but I knew you were going to be the ones with the cargo, so I hung around you guys until the time was right to call in my real crew."

"You're a pirate?" The first mate growled, clenching his hands into fists.

"I prefer free sailor," Doug replied easily, swinging his rifle around the room. "Now, who's going to be the first to die?"

"Get out of here!" One crew member yelled, diving at Doug. Without even blinking, the pirate shot him, sending the body sprawling across the room. The rest of the crew was immediately enraged and dove at Doug, who mowed them down without even seeming to care. Eventually, only the captain and the first mate were left. The entire time, the first mate had desperately been working on the radio, trying to fix it. Doug saw what he was doing and raised his gun, but the captain stepped in front of his first mate.

"Don't," he seethed.

"As if," Doug replied, shooting his captain down. The aged old man fell, never to see his family again. Meanwhile, the first mate had finished rudimentary repairs. He slammed his hand down on the power button.

"Pirates!" He yelled desperately. "We're under attack by pirates! They've killed most of the crew and are after the cargo! Repeat, we're under attack by-"

The first mate was abruptly silenced as a bullet hole appeared in the back of his head. His body slid down, his head thumping on the power button on the way down, ending the transmission.

Doug grinned and shouldered his rifle, moving over towards the controls.

Around the ship, the storm continued to rage, but the crew of the U.S.S. Sea Maiden were no longer around to take care of their ship.

**Just a quick chapter to set events in motion (I didn't realize I was ripping off the Winter Soldier's beginning until I was halfway through this). To all of you who want to, please review! And don't worry; the Avengers and such will be coming up next!**

**-RoR**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"Now I remember why I don't like driving with you, Stark," Clint gasped, staggering out of Tony's car and collapsing onto the pavement. "It's because you drive like you're going to get us all killed."

"I find that highly offensive," Tony Stark replied, sliding out of his car much more smoothly than Clint Barton had moments earlier. Natasha Romanova followed suit, quickly backed up by Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Bucky, for his part, squinted at the bright light of the noon sun.

"We have about five seconds before the New Yorkers realize who we are," Tony said, "so we should probably get in the tower.

"At least give my stomach a chance to recover, Tony," Clint protested.

"Get up, Clint," Natasha snapped, actually stepping on his stomach on her way into Avengers tower, which stretched up towards the sky in a sleek, modern design unique to Tony Stark.

"I don't wanna," Clint groaned. Suddenly, distant squeals echoed off the buildings. Tony's eyes shot wide open.

"If you want to stay out here, Clint," he said, inching towards the doors to Avenger's tower, "you go right ahead."

Tony fled into Avenger's tower, and Steve pulled Bucky in after him, trying not to let Bucky get caught on camera. His metal arm was pretty distinctive; _too_ distinctive. Natasha quickly followed, leaving Clint lying on the sidewalk. The legendary archer watched them go, somewhat confused. His confusion lifted considerably when a stampede of Avengers fans rounded the corner.

"Oh crap," Clint breathed, scrambling to his feet and making a dash for the doors. His teammates were laughing from behind the door, and even Natasha and Bucky were grinning slightly. Clint immediately knew what Tony had done.

"TELL ME YOU DIDN'T LOCK THE DOORS!" Clint yelled, pounding on the doors which weren't budging. Tony was in hysterics, bent over double. Natasha mouthed "good luck" at Clint as a mob of fans descended on the archer.

He never stood a chance.

. . .

Steve led Bucky through the Avengers tower, eventually making it to the main meeting floor. There was a large table there, complete with holographic display capabilities. Bucky was still confused, but at this point he was thinking straight.

"Was it smart to leave . . . Clint out there alone?" He asked Steve. Steve smiled indulgently.

"Probably not," he replied, "but Tony likes to have his fun. Now c'mon. We're having a team meeting."

"But I'm not a part of your team," Bucky pointed out. Steve smiled again.

"In about ten minutes you will be."

"Clint will catch up," Tony announced, having arrived at the meeting hall. He walked over to the table, pressed a few buttons, and a moment later comfortable-looking chairs rose up out of the floor.

"Really, Tony?" Natasha asked, though she didn't complain as she took a seat, resting her feet on the table. Tony looked like he was about to tell her to get her feet off, but decided against it.

"Really," he replied stiffly. "I like my chairs."

_Am I really going to be on a team with these people? _ Bucky thought, trying to keep his face neutral.

"I can guess what you're thinking," Steve muttered, "and I thought the same thing. Don't worry; you haven't even met Bruce and Thor yet, and they're half the party."

_In a good way or a bad way?_

"Guys, take a seat!" Tony called. "I can't get this meeting underway if you're all standing around! It's just weird and awkward."

"It's also weird and awkward that we're missing Clint, Thor, and Bruce," Natasha pointed out, one eyebrow raised in a pointed look at Tony. "And we all know why Clint is late."

"What? He was being mean earlier." Tony didn't sound all that offended by Natasha's accusation.

"So you left him with the mob outside?" Steve asked, sitting down. Bucky followed suit, deciding to stay quiet. However, Tony didn't seem to want the team's newest soon-to-be-member to be left off the hook so easily.

"Well, sure," Tony said, "but that was his fault. Even Robocop over here knew to get out of there. Clint's been around longer!"

"Clint was a victim of _your _driving, Stark," Steve pointed out, "I mean, even I felt a little queasy."

"Shut up," Tony muttered, crossing his arms. "I am a spectacular driver."

"You're not," a new voice gasped from the door, "and you're also a jerk."

"Hey, Clint," Steve called. "How was it?"

Clint shot Steve a baleful look. The guy looked like he'd been pulled down the road behind a car for half a mile; his clothes were ripped and torn, his face bloody from what looked like scratches, and he was missing a boot.

"Fantastic," he drawled sarcastically. "Thank you guys so much for that. Especially you, 'Tasha."

Natasha smiled and waved innocently as Clint took his seat next to her.

"At least they didn't steal your bow," Tony said, picking at something in his teeth.

"Yeah, because I didn't have it," Clint shot back. "If I had, I would've just shot the doors down."

Tony glanced at Clint with both eyebrows raised.

"Doubt it," he replied.

"Greetings, fellow team members!" Another new voice called. A tall blond man strode through the door, a hammer hanging from his belt.

"Hey, Thor," Clint called. "You're late."

"No matter. I see that Bruce Banner is later than I."

Thor took a seat, sitting in such a relaxed manner it was hard to believe that he was by some definitions a god. Bucky stared at him, unsure of what to make of the blond man.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late!" A man quickly walked into the room, sliding into his seat after nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Bruce," Tony said. "How long has it been since you slept?"

"Approximately?"

"Yes."

"Five days."

"Christ," Clint muttered.

"You need to get some sleep, Bruce," Steve said. "It can't be good for your research if you're bone tired."

Bruce gave the assembled Avengers a shaky smile. "I know, but I swear I'm almost at a breakthrough. There's no time for stopping!"

"Dude," Clint groaned, "just sleep."

"_After_ the meeting," Natasha added.

"I promise I will get some sleep later," Bruce said, but no one present looked convinced, not even Bucky.

"Oh, Clint," Bruce suddenly added, "I saw a crowd gathered outside the main doors screaming your name. What did you do?"

Tony snickered.

"I see," Bruce muttered, leaning back in his chair. Apparently, Bucky realized, Tony did enough pranks to make the story unnecessary.

"Jarvis!" Tony called. "Can you disperse those fans out front?"

"_Right away, sir_."

Bucky jumped.

_I could've sworn the walls just talked, _he thought to himself, shooting a look at Steve. He looked perfectly calm, so apparently this voice-in-the-wall was normal.

"Jarvis is the building's AI, or something like that," Steve muttered to his friend. "Just imagine him as a person who lives in the walls. That's how I deal with it."

"It's more than a little weird, Steve," Bucky replied.

"I know."

"Anyway," Tony said, "I think it's time we got this meeting started."

"Agreed," Thor replied.

"So, the reason we're all here is because Spangles finally found his friend, as most of us already know. In order to stop Fury from locking him up, I elected to have the Avengers handle Terminator."

_Does he come up with nicknames on the spot? _Bucky wondered. _And what's a terminator?_

"Isn't that a HYDRA agent?" Bruce asked, staring at Bucky. "I know I saw him on the news at one point."

Bucky shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I am not a HYDRA agent," he said evenly. "My name is James Buchanan Barnes, and I was with the United States military."

Bruce looked ashamed.

"Sorry. I, um, didn't mean to offend you."

"It's fine."

"Relax, Bruce," Clint said.

"To clear everything up," Tony announced, "Terminator is joining the Avengers, he's not a HYDRA agent anymore, and we're all going to get along swimmingly. Got it?"

"I like how he puts it," Thor declared.

"Of course you do," Clint muttered. "You like everything simple."

Luckily for Clint's health, Thor didn't hear him, or the god ignored him. It was difficult to tell.

"Are you sure, Tony?" Bruce asked.

"Sure, why not?" Tony replied. "I already invested in his arm. Might as well make it the whole thing."

"So it's official?" Steve leaned forward, a hopeful expression on his face. "Bucky is a part of the avengers?"

Tony grinned. "Yup."

**Heyyyy two reviews ****already! This isn't my best chapter ever, but it's passable. Please keep up the support!**

**-RoR**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"Well, Bucky," Steve said, leading his friend out of the Avengers meeting room, "there's only one thing left to do."

"One?" Bucky replied, glancing at Steve. Steve shrugged.

"Actually, two. First off, you're washing your hair, because I think your sergeant would have a heart attack if he saw you now."

Bucky smiled thinly. "I guess he would."

"And then," Steve added, "you get to have individual meetings with each member of the team."

Bucky's manner immediately changed from relaxed to tense.

"Why?" He questioned.

"They want to get to know you," Steve answered, shrugging slightly. "It's not as bad as you'd think, so you don't need to worry."

"I wasn't worrying," Bucky muttered. _I just don't want one-on-one time with a bunch of superheroes_, he added silently.

Steve smirked. "Sure you weren't. Just go shower, and then Jarvis will direct you to the interview room."

"Okay."

The two men parted ways, one heading to his door and the other wandering back down to the kitchen.

. . .

Bucky walked out of his room, his hair still wet from his shower. When he'd stepped out and dried off, he'd found a change of clothes sitting on the large bed in his room. He put them on, seeing that they were black cargo pants, combat boots, and a black t-shirt with no logo. Beside it was a note, written by Steve.

_I don't know what you like to wear_, it said, _but I pulled these out from storage and I __believe they're your size. -Steve_

"Lucky guess," Bucky muttered, tossing the note aside and rapidly running his fingers through his hair, a motion he hadn't done in a very long time. It felt different with a metal hand. For a moment, Bucky debated cutting his hair, but decided against it.

Bucky was about to walk out the door when he realized that there was something else on the bed. He walked over and picked it up, raising an eyebrow when he saw what it was. It was a dual sheath for knives, colored a dull silver and complete with two small but sharp knives. There was another note tucked beneath it.

_Tony didn't want me giving these to you yet, you being new and all, but I know what it feels like to be without my shield and I figure it might be the same for you. -Steve_

Bucky raised an eyebrow.

_Nice of him_, he thought, strapping on the sheathes. Immediately, he felt more at home with weapons on his person. _Though these clothes do feel a little bit weird._

Taking one last look around his bare and somewhat plain room, Bucky stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him, making sure to remember how he got there as he walked down towards where the elevator was.

Jarvis directed Bucky down a few floors and then through a few hallways, until Bucky was standing in a small conference room, complete with a table and six chairs. However, two couches were pulled up across from one another and, judging by the layer of dust on the table, the couches were the more preferable option. Shrugging, Bucky sat in the nearest couch. For a few minutes, no one came in, and Bucky slowly became more and more uncomfortable.

_Is this a prank?_

Bucky relaxed in his seat, sprawling into a more comfortable position.

_If I'm going to be waiting for a while, there's no point in sitting upright._

Suddenly, Bucky could hear rapid footsteps coming from outside the room. Someone barged in and practically fell into their seat, immediately assuming a seated position that looked extremely uncomfortable. From the way he was sitting, however, the man seemed to find it extremely comfortable.

"I know I'm late," he started, "but anyway my name's Clint Barton or Hawkeye, blah blah blah, I'm the Avengers' archer, blah blah, and I'm all around awesome. Any questions?"

" . . . No," Bucky replied, not sure what to make of the man in front of him. First Tony left him outside for the fan's to dismember him - though he was looking better now - and then he arrived late to the supposed interviews.

"Great!" Clint declared. "Interview over!" Just as quickly as he arrived, Clint darted out of the room. Moments later, another shadow darkened the door and the woman known as Natasha strode in, her stride long and confident.

"Let's get this over with," she sighed, sliding into the couch opposite Bucky. "My name is Natasha Romanova. My name on the Avengers is Black Widow. I am the Avengers' close combat specialist and spy. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

_Why you stood up for me at SHIELD, for one_, Bucky thought, _but I don't really want to bring that up._

"No. No questions."

"Good." Natasha stood and walked out of the room in much the same way as she had walked in.

_I wonder who's next._

"Finally! 'Tis my turn!"

_Never mind. I think I know who that is._

Sure enough, the thunder god - Steve had given Bucky a brief outline of each person on the team - came into the room and sat heavily in the chair. Bucky could hear the furniture protesting the weight, but surprisingly enough the couch didn't collapse, though Bucky would've been interested to see what would happen then.

"Tell me, man of metal," Thor began, "where do you hail from?"

_Of all of the things I don't remember . . ._

"New York," Bucky replied automatically. Who knows? It could be right for all Bucky knew. Maybe he would ask Steve later.

Thor grinned.

"Well met, James of New York."

"You can just call me Bucky," Bucky mumbled, but Thor didn't seem to hear.

"Ask me anything, friend!" Thor declared, leaning forward. Bucky cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Where are you from?"

"Asgard! Home of the gods!"

_Of course. Who's interviewing whom right now?_

"How old are you?"

Thor paused. "I do not think that is an appropriate question for this meeting," he replied carefully. Bucky groaned quietly.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one asking questions?" Bucky pointed out, crossing his arms.

"Aye," Thor replied, "but I cannot think of any!"

_Does he have volume control for his voice?_

"So this interview is pointless," Bucky sighed. Thor shrugged his massive shoulders.

"Perhaps."

"Are you going to leave?"

Thor looked hurt for a moment, and half a minute later he was out the door. Bucky could hear his footsteps retreating down the hallway. The next person to come in was Bruce, but he took a glance at Bucky, hovered near the chair, and twirled his fingers.

"I, uh, don't really have anything to ask," Bruce said, "but I would like to see if some of what you endured at HYDRA involved radiation. It's a, uh, study of mine."

"There was a small amount of radiation," Bucky replied slowly, walking a tightrope to keep himself out of those memories. Bruce nodded to himself, looking thoughtful.

"Interesting. If you would let me, I would like to run some tests later."

"Sure," Bucky muttered, slouching further in his couch. "Later."

Bruce grinned slightly and then hurried out of the room.

_They don't really try with these interviews, do they?_

This time, two people arrived in the room, coming in at the same time. Bucky's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized Steve and a dark-skinned man that was extremely familiar.

"Bucky," Steve said, "meet Falcon, or Sam. Sam, meet Bucky."

"The last time we met," Sam said conversationally as he took a seat, "you tried to blow me up."

"Sorry," Bucky replied flatly, not sounding apologetic at all. Sam scoffed and Steve just smiled slightly.

"You already know me," Steve announced, "so there's not much I can say."

"Then what does Sam do?" Bucky inquired.

"I'm right here," Sam muttered.

"Sam is a great flyer," Steve replied, "and a terrible runner."

"Shut up!" Sam snapped, his face reddening. "Let's not forget that only _one_ of us has the super-soldier mojo!"

"Since when are you an Avenger?" Bucky asked of Sam, frowning. "You weren't there at the meeting."

Falcon reddened further and Steve answered.

"Sam's a kind of honorary Avenger. He's got other responsibilities, so he can't be here full-time."

"I see." Bucky sat back. He'd already talked with Steve for a while on the ride home from SHIELD, when he wasn't stopping himself from flying through the window of Tony's car, so Bucky didn't really see the need to ask any questions that he couldn't ask later. It's not like he had anywhere better to be.

"Have fun with Stark," Steve grunted, standing up. "And try to be patient."

Bucky didn't like the smirk on Sam's face as the flyer left.

It took Tony fifteen minutes to arrive at the meeting - Bucky counted. It may have been longer, but Bucky actually fell asleep for a few moments. When he did arrive, the altar ego of Iron Man nearly tripped over the doorframe and practically fell into the couch. There were grease stains on his hands and face and multiple other unidentifiable marks on his shirt and pants. There was a manic sort of look to his eyes that was taking a while to fade even as Tony made failed attempts to smooth out his hair and flash Bucky a winning smile.

"You're late," Bucky said tonelessly.

_And you look like you got dragged through a garage._

"Late only by your standards," Tony replied flippantly. "Anyway, I just want to do a quick check on your arm."

"My arm?"

Tony whipped out a small data pad from nowhere and was immediately next to Bucky, scanning his arm and making various thinking noises. Bucky had to resist the urge to hit the man next to him, knowing that he would be using his left arm to do so. Hitting Tony Stark on his first day on the job probably wouldn't end well for Bucky, no matter how annoying Tony could get.

"Nerve synthesis seems normal . . ." Tony muttered, pulling out some kind of scanning tool. "No obvious electrical fluctuations . . . neural impulses are transferred throughout limb in the most optimal way possible . . . adamantium is holding up nicely . . . I am a _genius_!"

"Congratulations," Bucky drawled, pulling his arm away. "Are you done?"

"First things first," Tony responded, his gear vanishing into the invisible pockets somewhere on his clothing, "you need to have just a little bit more respect for people whose names are not Steve Rogers. It may be difficult for you, but trust me, it'll save your life one day. This team doesn't function with one self-absorbed jerk in the midst."

"I am not-!"

"Never said you were. Either way, keep teamwork in mind. The workout center is floor 31 and is open all the time, and you're welcome to spar with other Avengers along as you don't use lethal force. Keep in mind that Natasha and Clint have a very flexible version of 'lethal'."

"Okay."

_There's not much I can say to this. I'll just let him talk._

"Also, Bruce is very bad-tempered in the morning. Don't even touch him until he's had his coffee and newspaper. Steve and Sam usually go running in the morning, so if you want to be like Spangles and Eagle you can go fly with them. Natasha and Clint do their own thing in the morning, so don't bother them."

"And what do you do in the morning?"

"Whatever I feel like. This is technically my tower, after all."

_Not surprising._

"Anyway, Tin Man, feel free to wander to tower as long as you keep out of my lab. Go in there, and you're off the Avengers." Tony grinned. "Well, maybe not, but you'll definitely be on probation. Or whatever's worse than that."

"My name is Bucky," Bucky stated, "_not_ Tin Man."

"Whatever, Terminator."

_I swear . . ._

"Welp, that's about it," Tony concluded, scratching the back of his head. He then seemed to go through a mental checklist, counting off things on his fingers. "Warnings about mornings, fighting, running . . . that's it. Good luck!"

Tony dashed out of the room, probably to go back to work. Right as Bucky was starting to get up, Tony's head popped back into the room.

"By the way, dinner's ready on floor three. I'd get there fast; Bruce and Thor eat most of it within the first ten minutes."

With that, Tony was gone. Bucky hesitated for a second, wondering if Tony was going to come back, but when he didn't, Bucky walked out of the meeting room. He felt a little stiff, despite the fact that the meetings had actually been considerably shorter than he was expecting.

_I can probably get a snack before sleeping._

Shrugging mentally, Bucky headed towards the elevator.

**Wow this chapter was really difficult to write, mostly because it was really difficult to guess how the characters would actually act in these situations, especially Bucky. Anyway, I can't believe I've already got so much support for this story, which is incredible! Thank you guys so much!**

**Please continue to be supportive; it's awesome to read your feedback!**

**Adios,**

**-RoR**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Bucky stared up at the ceiling of his room. Technically, he should've fallen asleep hours ago, but he couldn't bring himself to do it now. It felt weird to be in a room, on a comfortable bed, in a tower in the middle of New York. On top of that, Bucky was no a part of the Avengers, a super-hero squad that had a crazier dynamic than Bucky and Steve did.

With a groan, Bucky turned onto his side, but that didn't help as his left arm felt cold, even though Tony had assured him that the metal limb was capable of heating itself to body temperature using some kind of technology that flew right over Bucky's head. However, that didn't stop Bucky's arm from feeling cold. Bucky shifted back onto his back and continued staring up at the ceiling, hoping to find some way to sleep in the smooth expanse. The ceiling offered no answers and Bucky let out a frustrated noise, eventually getting up and stretching.

_No point in trying to sleep if sleep won't come_, he thought bitterly. _I'm still used to sleeping in cryostasis - at least, that's what Tony told me. I'm not even totally sure what that means._

Bucky debated putting on his knives, and then decided against it. He was staying in the tower, and he had a feeling that if the Avengers discovered him wandering around the tower in the dark with weapons, it wouldn't end well.

_Even though I'm a part of the Avengers now,_ Bucky wryly thought, stepping out into the hallway with bare feet. He didn't feel tired at all, and stepped into the elevator.

"Sir," Jarvis's voice said, coming from the walls, "it is past the normal curfew."

_There's a curfew?_

"Is the curfew enforced?" Bucky replied. There was a momentary pause.

"No, sir, as Master Stark stays up most nights to work in his lab."

_I could've sworn I heard sarcasm in his voice._

"Then you won't have a problem with taking me to the top floor," Bucky said, crossing his arms.

The elevator began moving with a jolt, moving swiftly up Avengers tower. The elevator music was awful, making Bucky want to put his hands over his ears.

_At least that hasn't changed._

Eventually the elevator stopped, opening to reveal a small room that looked extremely dusty, as if people hadn't gone there in months. Bucky stepped out of the elevator, hearing the doors close behind him. He stepped over to the door, knowing that it went outside.

_Maybe I should've brought a jacket_, he thought to himself. Then he shrugged. _I've never really felt extremely cold before. I doubt a little wind will hurt._

With that thought in mind, Bucky shoved open the door and walked onto the roof of Avengers tower, feeling the gravelly substance on the top grind against his feet, but the sensation wasn't painful. The wind whipped through his hair and bit at Bucky's skin, but Bucky was otherwise unaffected by the elements. In the distance, Bucky could see where the sun was just barely beginning to rise, making a thin band of red appear on the horizon.

Bucky leaned against the railing, knowing that it wouldn't break. The ground looked a mile away, the never-ending New York traffic seeming like rows of multicolored ants.

"Enjoying the view?"

Over the wind, Bucky hadn't heard Steve come up next to him.

"Yeah," Bucky replied.

"Can't sleep," Steve explained, answering Bucky's unasked question. He cracked a small smile. "I think you're having the same problem."

"Maybe. Why did you come up here?" Bucky asked, glancing at Steve. He had a distant look on his face and his hands in his pockets, like he was thinking of something.

"I just wanted to talk," Steve responded, snapping back to the present. "I figured mutual lack of sleep would be the best opportunity." Steve leaned against the railing next to Bucky, staring off at the sparkling waters around the Statue of Liberty, just barely visible in a sudden early-morning mist.

"Talk about what?"

"You know, what you think of the Avengers."

_Safe things, then_, Bucky thought. _I can do that._

"The Avengers seem pretty weird," Bucky replied with a small smile. "I don't think I can see them as super heroes yet."

Steve smirked. "I was the same way, but we all came together during the New York incident. Look over there." He pointed to the left, towards a less populated area of New York. Bucky's eyes narrowed, and he could make out construction crews and more than a few cranes in that area. "Repairs are still going on," Steve continued, "from when we got invaded by an army. If it hadn't been for the Avengers, things could've gone a lot worse."

"Looks like they went pretty badly anyway," Bucky commented, now able to pick out more construction crews now that one had been shown to him. They were scattered throughout the city, going in a radius away from Avengers tower. Bucky decided not to comment on his last observation, guessing that it would be a sensitive topic.

"Yeah. They did. But we won, and that's what counts."

_He's not saying something. It must've been worse than he's letting on._

The two men shared a comfortable minute of silence, each thinking about what had happened to them. Eventually, Bucky broke the silence.

"What am I going to do on the Avengers?"

"What?" Steve looked confused.

"I mean," Bucky elaborated, "what role am I going to fill? You already have an archer, a spy, a genius, a soldier, another genius-" Steve smiled at that, which Bucky didn't understand- "and a god. I don't understand how I can help."

"First of all," Steve began, "Bruce is a little more than a genius, though he's extremely smart. When he gets angry, he turns into a giant green monster with immeasurable strength."

"You're kidding."

Steve's serious face told Bucky otherwise, and Bucky let out a slow breath, turning back to the breathtaking view of New York.

"Wow."

"Yeah," Steve responded, grinning. "Anyway, you'll fit in fine, Bucky. You're good at close combat, long range, and I bet you learned more than a few tactics in your life."

Bucky winced slightly, warning Steve not to continue on that track.

"Maybe," he replied ambiguously.

On the horizon, the sun continued to rise, painting a sky a brilliant canvas of reds and pinks and golds that was breathtaking to look at.

"I can't remember the last time I watched a sunrise," Bucky muttered, watching with rapt attention. He could sense Steve smiling slightly.

"Now you can watch it every day," he told Bucky softly.

Bucky didn't reply, his eyes reflecting the colors radiating from the East.

_I can't believe how many sunrises I've missed. _Bucky's expression darkened slightly. _But I'll make it up. I won't waste another sunrise. I can't._

Distantly, Bucky was aware of Steve walking back into Avengers tower, maybe realizing that Bucky needed his time alone.

Bucky let out a slow breath and continued to watch the day being born anew, his grip on the rail slowly loosening.

**I figured Bucky wouldn't be able to sleep with all that has happened to him, so that's how this chapter was kind of born.**

**Please continue to review/give feedback! It's really awesome knowing that you guys are reading and (hopefully) enjoying this story!**

**-RoR**

**P.S. My updating won't come as quickly now because my school workload just tripled. I think they're trying to suffocate me with packets and worksheets and textbooks.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Bucky was slowly eating a piece of buttered toast, his eyes wide open as he read through a newspaper. Across from him, Steve was doing the same, sipping a drink from a cup. They both turned the page at the same time, filling the large Avengers kitchen with the sound of rustling paper.

_I can't believe all of this_, Bucky thought, his eyes skimming the page while munching on his toast. _And according to Steve it only gets weirder. I guess that's what I get for missing seventy years._

He glanced up at his friend, who gave him a friendly smile before going back to reading.

It was early in the morning, too early for anyone but Bucky and Steve to be up. They were going to go running as soon as Sam arrived, so Bucky was dressed in a gray t-shirt and black shorts on top of a nice pair of black and gray running shoes. All of Bucky's clothes were being provided by Tony, who seemed to be taking it upon himself to get Bucky the best wardrobe in the least amount of time. Bucky could've sworn he saw a tuxedo in his closet when he went through it earlier, but he was still sleepy at the time so he wasn't sure.

Bucky took the last bite of his toast and wiped the butter off his fingers with a napkin, absently balling it up and tossing it into a nearby trash can.

"Nice throw," Steve commented, folding his newspaper and setting it down on the table.

"Thanks." Bucky skipped over the rest of the newspaper - something about Stark Industries - and set his newspaper down as well. "Time for the run?"

Steve nodded, standing and stretching. Bucky followed suit, though he had to shake the hair out of his face first.

"You really ought to get a haircut," Steve told his friend, who just shrugged in response, offering no solid answer.

"Actually . . ." Bucky mused, looking around. "I know I saw one of those things around here earlier."

"Define 'things'."

"A band that goes around your head to keep your hair back."

"A hairband."

"Yes! That's the word.'

Steve rolled his eyes and reached for a nearby drawer. Technically, it was supposed to hold clips and rubber bands, but at one point Natasha had dumped a large portion of her hairbands in it. Now that she didn't wear them anymore, they were up for anyone who wanted to use one.

"Here," Steve said, tossing one to Bucky. Bucky caught the hairband and quickly put it on, giving Steve a winning smile when he was done. Steve laughed slightly, shaking his head. "You look ridiculous."

"I look fantastic," Bucky corrected.

"You're lucky I don't have a camera with me," Steve laughed. "You would never live this down."

"I'm just being practical," Bucky muttered, adjusting a few stray strands of hair that were continuing to be trouble. It felt weird to be wearing a hairband, but it worked.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the main door.

"Sam is here," Jarvis stated.

Bucky and Steve exchanged a look, both of them still not used to Jarvis, though it was mostly Bucky who was caught off-guard.

"Yo! You guys gonna let me in!?"

Sam was at the door, pounding on it. Bucky was aware of Jarvis telling Sam to stop, which made him smirk slightly.

"Calm down, Sam," Steve said, pulling the door open. "We've got plenty of time."

"Says you," Sam replied breathlessly, hopping from foot to foot. "Let's go. I feel good about this run." Sam's eyes eventually met Bucky's and he stopped jumping. "You're running too? And why are you wearing a headband?"

Steve snickered and Bucky sighed, not really feeling like explaining himself again.

"Just ignore it," Bucky muttered. Sam raised an eyebrow but didn't comment further.

"Okay then," Sam said, clapping his hands together. "Let's go running!"

. . .

Sam took his jog at a quick pace, feeling confident in himself as he jogged around Central Park. The path he was on wound through the trees, much different than the one in Washington, but it was still great exercise.

"On your left!"

_You gotta be kidding me_, Sam thought as he saw Steve come up behind him. _Already?_

Steve passed Sam easily, rapidly disappearing farther along the path. The sound of running feet faded to just Sam's for about ten seconds, and then more could be heard.

_That's not possible. He couldn't be lapping me _again_ already!_

"On your right!"

All Sam could see was the flash of a metal arm as Bucky jogged past him. Sam stared after him, his breathing beginning to grow heavier.

_I think it's worse when there's two of them,_ he thought to himself. _I have to catch up to one of them eventually, right?_

"On your left!"

"On your right!"

"Seriously?!" Bucky and Steve flashed Sam mischievous smiles before continuing on their way, leaving Sam in the dust.

_Why do I keep going on runs with Steve? Oh right. Because I keep thinking I'm going to beat him, and then I don't, and then-_

"On your left!"

Sam muttered something very explicit under his breath and received a clap on the shoulder from Bucky as Bucky passed by.

"That hurt!" Sam called, rubbing his now shore shoulder. _His metal arm really does hurt_. _Ouch._

Sam got lapped several more times by both Bucky and Steve, and each time he came up with more and more creative phrases to shout back to them when they said "on your left" or "on your right".

_Finally, I'm almost done with the run. Steve hasn't run past me in a while; I might actually finish this before him!_

Sam's hopes were immediately dashed when he saw what was set up for him at the "finish line", where he, Bucky, and Steve had begun their run.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," he muttered between labored breaths, gradually slowing to a walk. Steve and Bucky were next to a grill, with Bucky casually eating a hot dog while Steve held up a stopwatch.

Sam arrived right as Bucky finished his hot dog, making an appreciative noise as he took the final bite.

"It was really nice for those people to let you borrow their grill," Bucky commented to Steve, licking his fingers. Steve grinned.

"Definitely. They'll get it back in a minute, though."

_They seriously did all of this just to make fun of me? _Sam was completely incredulous.

"So, Sam," Steve called, stepping away from the grill, "how does it feel to be slower than a couple of ninety-five year old men?"

"Ah, shut up," Sam grumbled, crossing his arms. "You're forgetting the super soldier part."

_I think I know what I'm doing next time we go on a run_, Sam thought. _I bet I can go faster than these two clowns when I have my wings on._

Meanwhile, Steve and Bucky were cracking up, not even seeming to care about their age even though it bugged Sam to no end. Suddenly, Steve froze, reaching up to his ear and frowning.

"What is it, Tony?" He asked, his finger hovering over a tiny communications unit in his ear. "Seriously? I just finished my run. Ok. We'll be there in five." Steve turned to face Sam and Bucky. "Time to go," he said. "We've got trouble at a local bank."

"And the local police can't handle it?" Sam asked, not seeming surprised. Steve shook his head.

"Apparently it's more of those high-tech guys that Tony hates."

Sam sighed, running a hand over his head. "Fine. I'll go grab my wings."

"Make sure you hurry!" Bucky called with a grin.

**This was really fun to write because . . . you know. . . the running part was really funny in the movie. Anyway, please continue to review! It's great to see what you guys think of my writing!**

**Also, just a note that my updates will be ****sporadic at best due to my massive mountains of procrastinated schoolwork. Sorry!**

**-RoR**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Steve, Bucky, and Sam were sprinting towards Avengers Tower - which was near Central Park, thankfully - in order to get their gear. For once, Steve was without his shield, Bucky was without weapons, and Sam was without his wings. All three felt exceedingly vulnerable, subconsciously longing for their weapons or wings.

"Steve," Sam gasped, "what're we going to do about Bucky's arm? No offense," he added, glancing at Bucky, "but I don't think you want that visible in public quite yet."

Bucky nodded, seeing the logic in the idea, and then realizing that he had just been running around in Central Park with it.

_Well, it's early enough that no one is really alert, and we were on a practically deserted route. Plus, nobody was paying attention._

"Already on it," Steve replied. "Tony did more than just improve your arm, Bucky. He completely changed it."

"How?" Bucky asked, frowning.

_It doesn't feel that different_, he thought to himself.

"I'll show you when we get our gear," Steve responded. "Now hurry it up, Sam!"

"I'm hurrying!"

. . .

The trio made it to Avengers Tower in record time, each with varying degrees of difficulty. Sam was panting, his face red, while Steve and Bucky both looked completely fine. All three rushed to the elevator, where Jarvis directed them to the equipment rooms. Everyone's weapons were required to be stored there when not in use. Thor, of course, didn't listen, and Steve almost always had his shield with him, but other than that the rules were mostly followed. Since the weapons rooms were close enough to Tony's lab, the richest man on the Avengers kept his gear in a nearby room called the Armory.

Once all three were geared up - Steve wearing his darker Captain America suit - Steve grabbed something extra out of Bucky's space that Bucky hadn't seen.

"What's that?" Bucky asked, frowning slightly.

"Your terrible disguise," Steve replied easily, showing Bucky.

"It's . . . a sleeve."

_Is there supposed to be something special about this? It's pretty __impractical._

"Yes, but according to Tony it's a special sleeve," Sam put in as he was finishing putting on his wing-pack.

"Just put it on," Steve said. Bucky complied, slipping the thick, black-colored sleeve onto his metal arm. It fit easily, stretching over the silver all the way up to Bucky's real skin.

"It's fitted to me," Bucky said with some surprise.

_It's strange . . . I can feel the material against my arm, almost as if my arm wasn't metal. Tony really is a genius, though I don't think I want to say that to his face._

"Tony did it while you were unconscious at SHIELD," Steve responded, shrugging. "Same with your arm, as I'm sure you already know."

"So what does the sleeve do? There's no way it wouldn't rip in a fight." Bucky was confused, examining the sleeve on his arm. Steve grinned in a knowing manner, the expression only brightening when Bucky's eyes widened slightly. "It feels warm!" He exclaimed, feeling the strange fabric. "Steve, what is this?"

"Take it off," Steve replied mysteriously, finding too much humor in Bucky's surprise. He was confident that he had time to show off Tony's invention and still get to the fight scene without too much of a fuss from the other Avengers.

Bucky followed Steve's instructions and his face was what Sam would describe as "priceless". Sam, for his part, was laughing hard, crouched over slightly at Bucky's reaction.

_I don't understand_, Bucky thought, staring at his metal arm. _It turned . . . black?_

Sure enough, the once gleaming silver metal had transformed into slightly duller black, with the red star becoming a darker shade of crimson. Bucky had already changed into black cargo pants, his boots, and a tight-fitting black shirt covered by light body armor. He was even wearing black fingerless gloves, a habit that didn't seem to have origin. The black arm simply went with the look, though his other arm was bare, exposing the muscle.

"Dude," Sam commented, "why are you wearing so much black?"

"It's your new outfit," Steve stated, taking the sleeve and shoving it back into Bucky's locker. "That sleeve will change the color of the metal to either black or silver, so the news shouldn't know who you are. After all, you'll be fighting _with_ the Avengers. The Winter Soldier wasn't covered with pictures much on the media."

Bucky nodded.

"He gets a name for the Avengers, right?" Sam inquired.

"Yes," Steve replied. "Why?"

"I was thinking 'Pyro', or 'Jerkface', or-"

"Let's not do any of those," Steve interrupted quickly, before Sam got into anything more serious. "We'll just be calling him Winter."

Sam gave Steve an incredulous look, while Bucky smirked. Bucky, of course, recognized that he was still going to be called something similar to the Winter Soldier, but it made sense. The Avengers would recognize that name and be less likely to get confused during a fight.

_It does remind me of HYDRA,_ he thought, keeping his expression closed, _but it'll help me to get over it. Hopefully._

"All those opportunities," Sam sighed, shaking his head, "and you just go with 'Winter'. I'm disappointed in you, Steve." Steve smirked, slinging his shield over his back.

"Call me Captain, Falcon. And try to keep up."

. . .

"Tony!" Steve said into his earpiece, "an update would be nice!"

Steve, Bucky, and Sam were sprinting down the crowded streets, trying to take a route that wouldn't involve massive groups of people swarming the roads. No doubt the Avengers had already caused the destruction of a few buildings. Their track record with New York was anything but stellar, especially when the prior incident with Loki and the alien invasion was taken into account.

Bucky couldn't make out what Tony said in response, but from Steve's expression, it was anything but "nice".

"Three guys," Steve explained to Falcon and Winter once Tony had stopped talking. "Two of them have long-range cannon-like weapons. Tony was _very clear_ about not letting them hit you. The other has an electricity whip." Steve then frowned. "According to Tony, the whip reminds him of mandarins."

"Oranges?" Falcon questioned. Steve shrugged, not knowing either, and then took charge again.

"Falcon, I want you to fly up ahead and give everyone a look at where the opposition is and what they're doing, got it? Don't get involved unless you have to. Iron Man can fly too, but he's better at combat."

"Roger that," Falcon replied with a solute, taking off into the sky with his wings extended. He wasn't even offended by the fact that Iron Man was better suited for combat; Falcon simply didn't have the armor.

"Buck- ah, Winter, I want you to stick with me. We're both close-combat, so we'll be taking on the one with the whip. The others can handle the ones with cannons."

"Where did they get those weapons?" Winter questioned, following Captain America as he sprinted through the panicking New York streets.

_Even now, in 19- um, 2014, I doubt weapons like that would just be sitting out._

"We don't know," Steve replied, trying not to knock over civilians. "We're going to ask these guys once we've subdued them and stopped them from hurting anyone."

Winter nodded, feeling the comforting weight of the daggers on his waist.

_So maybe I won't be useless on this team after all_, he thought.

**Woooooo another chapter. Don't worry, the action is coming next; I just wanted to get some soldier-squad action going on here, especially the slight changes to Bucky's appearance. Sorry about his terrible field name, by the way, but I couldn't think of anything else that would make sense!**

**So, yeah. Please please please be awesome people and review like you have been doing so fantastically!**

**Until next chapter,**

**-RoR**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

"Of all things," Bucky complained, "it had to be Winter?"

_Now that I think about it, _Steve sighed, hearing his friend whine, _it does sound a bit dumb._

"I agree with Terminator," Tony called, his voice coming in through Steve's earpiece. "Can we please change it to that? Terminator? That would be _awesome_!"

"Sir, you may want to focus on the fighting."

"Not now, Jarvis!"

Steve smirked at Tony's annoyance, and then focused on what was going on.

"Bucky, if you want, we'll just you the Winter Soldier."

"That's only one word longer!" Falcon complained from the sky. "Where's your originality?"

"Can it, guys," Hawkeye cut in. "We've got-" he was interrupted by the sound of an explosion, and Steve saw a cloud of smoke rise up from a nearby building- "trouble!"

_He's right. Time to focus._

"Falcon!" Steve called, "where is the one with the whip?"

"Two buildings up and to your right! He's on the roof!"

Captain America and the Winter Soldier exchanged a look, and then they both increased their speed, heading towards what looked like a bank. As Captain America got closer, he saw that the entrance had been destroyed. He and the Winter Soldier carefully made their way inside and began looking for roof access, trying not to look at the damage the high-tech trio had wrought.

"Careless . . . " The Winter Soldier muttered as he and Captain America ascended a nearby stairwell.

"What was that?" Captain America asked, diving through the destroyed doorway at the top, ready for anything. There was no one there, so the duo continued searching for roof access, another floor up.

"Nothing," the Winter Soldier replied, kicking down a nearby door and checking inside. At the disapproving look from Captain America, he shrugged.

"It's more efficient."

"Well, be more careful," Captain America ordered, quickly pushing open a door. The Winter Soldier sighed and followed suit, checking to see if the doors were locked or not before kicking them in.

The two spent two minutes searching before Captain America found the roof access door.

"Winter Soldier!" He called. Seconds later, Bucky was by his side, and together the two kicked down the locked door.

_An alarm should've sounded_, Captain America thought. _The thieves must've disabled it._

He and the Winter Soldier quickly went up the stairs, shoving open the door that led to the roof. The wind wasn't strong, as the nearby skyscrapers blocked most of it. However, the sun was close to blinding and Captain America barely got his shield up in time to deflect an electrified whip from wrapping around his neck.

"Falcon! A little warning!"

"Sorry, Cap! I was helping Thor!"

_He's doing all he can_, Steve told himself.

Captain America quickly rolled to the right while the Winter Soldier rolled to the left. The man with the whip stood about fifteen feet away, two metal ropes extending from metal bands on his wrists, both crackling with multicolored energy. There was a spinning blue wheel on the harness the man wore, which Captain America assumed was the power source. The man also wore silver body armor, completely covering his body and head.

"I was looking forward to fighting Iron Man," The man called, cracking his two whips. "You're a disappointment!"

In reply, Captain America threw his shield. The man quickly dove to one side, letting the shield bounce off an air-conditioning unit behind him, causing the shield to return to Captain America.

"What do you call yourself?" Captain America replied, holding his shield in a ready position to deflect the man's electric whips. The man laughed.

"No need for names," he replied, holding out his weapons. "You can just call me Whip and keep things simple!"

"At least that's easy," the Winter Soldier muttered, "but it won't matter what we call him when we take him down."

Captain America shot his ally a worried look and saw an unfamiliar - yet at the same time recognizable - coldness in his eyes.

_Don't do anything reckless, Bucky_, he thought.

"Bucky!" Captain America called. "Be careful! Your arm can block the electricity from his attacks, but you shouldn't do it too often!"

The Winter Soldier nodded his understand and, in one smooth movement, unsheathed both his knives and flipped them into his hands, the blades shining in the sun. Whip whistled mockingly, clapping his hands.

"Oh, wow!" He said sarcastically. "Knives! I'm so scared! How about you- crap!" While Whip had been distracted by the Winter Soldier showing off, Captain America moved slightly close and threw his shield again. This time, however, he wasn't aiming for Whip himself; as the man dove to his right side - his dominant side, as Captain America had predicted from the way he cracked his whips - the iconic shield hit the right whip. For a moment, nothing happened, and then the electricity from the point where the shield had hit up to the tip of the whip vanished, though the rest of the whip still worked.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Winter Soldier leapt forward, simultaneously kicking Captain America's shield back and slashing his knives at the cuffs on Whip's wrists in a dazzling display of skill as Whip desperately tried to defend himself.

"Cap!" Falcon's voice came in through the comms channel. "One of the cannon guys is looking your way!"

"Winter Soldier!" Captain America yelled, running towards his friend. "Move!"

Looking up, the Winter Soldier began to jump off of Whip, who had begun laughing maniacally. However, it was too late as a bolt of crackling blue energy struck the Winter Soldier straight in the chest, sending him flying right to the edge of the roof. The only thing that stopped him from going over the side was the slight railing, and the impact the Winter Soldier's body made on the stone was nothing short of ugly.

"You shall pay for that, villain!" Thor yelled, his voice loud enough to be heard even without the comms. More thunder rumbled and the sky darkened, but Captain America had no time to worry about Thor or even the Winter Soldier as Whip recovered, grinning victoriously.

"Not so tough, are we?" He mocked, tensing in preparation to attack. Captain America didn't waste breath replying as he dodged his opponent's strikes, his mind working quickly to come up with a strategy. Using his shield was easy enough to deflect attacks, but if Captain America got too close Whip's weapons would be able to wrap around the shield and hit Captain America without too much trouble.

_And throwing the shield is really more of a distraction, unless I can get Whip to the point where he isn't expecting me to throw it._

The entire time Cap had been thinking, he and Whip had been slowly circling each other, with Captain America moving ever closer to the Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier, for his part, was handling the pain of his injury extremely well, even though his heart had stopped for a few moments when he was hit.

"Cap," Tony was saying seriously through the comms, "you _need_ to get the Winter Soldier medical attention right now."

"I'm not delaying that on purpose," Captain America replied, keeping his eyes on Whip. Around him, the other Avengers were battling the two men with cannons and seemed to be having no better luck than Captain America and the Winter Soldier.

_At least they were smart enough to leave Bruce behind on this one; I don't think the Hulk would be the best man for the job here, and a gamma scientist won't be able to do anything either, no matter how much of a genius he is._

"You're losing time, Captain!" Whip called, lashing out in the middle of his sentence. The captain barely flinched as his shield caught the blow, the whip not quite long enough to wrap around the circular piece of metal. Whip had struck with his left whip, meaning that it was an electrified blow. Captain America could feel his arm aching where it was in direct contact with his shield from the electricity being conducted, but his suit absorbed most of it.

_Even so, I shouldn't make the blocking bit a habit. I need to end this quickly, especially for Bucky._

On cue, the Winter Soldier groaned, tightening into a ball. Whip laughed.

"Your friend is going to die!" He yelled, attacking again. Captain America was forced on the defensive as Whip laid blow after blow on his shield, making Captain America's arms quickly grow numb.

Whip was laughing the whole time, seeming to enjoy himself as he put Captain America in pain.

"Don't worry, Cap!" Falcon said. "I've got you!"

Falcon dropped out of the sky where he had been circling, kicking Whip in the back with both feet and sending the criminal face-first into the rooftop.

"Thanks, Falcon," Cap gasped, getting to his feet but remaining on guard.

"No problem," Falcon replied with a grin. "Just don't count on me doing that again. Tony's yelling at me right now for help!" With that, Falcon took off again.

"Oh no you don't," Whip snarled, having gotten up enough to send his left whip flying at Falcon. It caught the hero's ankle and Falcon yelled in pain as the electricity arced through his body. He crashed to the ground, unconscious, a serious-looking burn on his ankle.

"You'll regret that," Captain America said, glaring at Whip. Whip's face was bloody, the skin a mess and his nose and jaw clearly broken. He didn't talk - most likely it was too painful - but he did flip Captain America off with both hands before going on the offensive again. However, this time Captain America was ready. During the last salvo of blows, he had examined the patterns of Whip's attacks and now knew his fighting style, which was actually not that advanced. The only real advantage he had was his weaponry.

Captain America held off Whip's assault for a moment while he mustered his strength. As soon as Whip lashed out with his weakened right whip, Captain America came out from under his shield and caught the weapon where it wasn't electrified, shocking Whip. At the same time, he threw his shield, pinning the other whip to the roof in one smooth move.

"You are only as good as your weapons," Captain America said sadly. "And that makes you no threat at all."

With Whip's weapons completely useless, Captain America stepped in close and, after giving the man in front of him a disapproving look - even though he was wearing armor - punched him in the face.

Whip fell, his helmet cracked.

He didn't get up.

"Tony!" Captain America said, putting one finger up to make sure his comms unit was on, "I got mine, but Winter Soldier and Falcon are down and need medical attention!"

"Roger that, Spangles. We'll get Feathers and Flashy back to the tower as soon as we're done here."

Captain America waited for a moment, and wasn't disappointed when a massive lightning bolt tore down from the sky, creating a massive explosion on a nearby roof.

"We got one," Hawkeye stated obviously.

"Aye!" Thor agreed. "He was scum, but a worthy opponent!"

There were multiple other explosions and various flashing lights, and then a tired-sounding Iron Man came on the comms.

"Mine's down too. Thanks for the help, guys."

"I'm here too!" Black Widow protested. "If it wasn't for me, you would've gotten hit at least five times."

"She is right, sir," Jarvis put in.

"You all hate me, don't you," Iron Man muttered.

"Can we focus here, guys?" Captain America asked. "First of all, we've got people we need to get medical attention, and second of all-"

"Fury," Iron Man groaned. "Oh, man. Nick's going to kill us for the property damage."

"It's not as bad as New York was during the alien invasion," Hawkeye said, trying to be positive.

"_Nothing's_ as bad as the alien invasion," Black Widow replied. Each conscious Avenger shared a small chuckle, and then abruptly got serious.

"Let's get the wounded back to the tower," Iron Man ordered, "and then we'll deal with the fallout of today. Anyway, I want to have a little look-see at their weapons."

There was a general chorus of agreement, and the Avengers quickly got away from the destruction, taking both the unconscious teammates and the unconscious criminals with them.

_Don't do anything stupid, Bucky. Or you, Sam_, Steve thought. _If either of you die on me . . ._

He didn't want to finish the thought.

**I am quite literally uploading this at midnight; you'd better believe I like you readers because my parents are going to be very annoyed with sleepy-and-grumpy me tomorrow.**

**As a response to the general chorus of guest reviews saying my idea of calling Bucky "Winter" sucked:**

**thank you for the constructive criticism. I appreciate your feedback and it was taken into consideration in the making of this chapter.**

**Please keep reviewing!**

**-RoR**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

"C'mon, Bucky," Steve muttered, staring at his unconscious friend. Glancing up, he saw that Sam was doing no better, though his ankle was wrapped in bandages. The slow, constant _beeps_ coming from the machines were Steve's only comfort while he desperately waited for his friends to wake up.

"You need to relax, Steve," Natasha said, walking up behind him. Steve made a grunting noise that could've been an agreement or an argument, and then went back to staring at his friends.

Natasha gave her teammate a slightly sympathetic look and pulled up a chair next to him, sitting down gracefully. Her red hair pooled around her face, much as it had when she and Steve had been running from SHIELD.

"Look," she said quietly, "I know you're worried. I can understand why. But you have your own needs, Rogers, and you've been sitting like this for two days. They _will_ wake up. You don't need to worry them, but I think they'll be worried when they see a sleepless you sitting over them."

There was still no response from Steve. Natasha sighed, absently playing with a few stands of her hair.

"I know what it's like." Her voice was distant as she spoke. "I can understand why you want to watch them day and night - I really do. But it's not going to get you anywhere. If you keep this up, Steve, you're going to break before they are, and then the Avengers are going to have a pretty big problem." She took a deep breath. "Tony said that Avengers tower has the best medical equipment in the city and probably the world. You don't have to worry."

"But I want to worry," Steve replied softly, his hands clenched into fists in his lap. "If I don't, who will?"

"All of us," Natasha responded, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder. "The Avengers are more than just a team, Steve. We're friends. And there's no way we're going to let any of us do anything stupid without everyone else doing it too."

That finally pulled a small smile out of Steve. Natasha smiled in turn, glad that she could at least partially pull Steve out of his worry.

"We do do a lot of dumb things," Steve eventually sighed, leaning back in his chair.

_I've really been here for two days? _He wondered absently, hearing his stomach grumble and his whole body ache. His shield was still leaned against the side of the chair where Steve had originally left it when he first sat down.

"You need to change," Natasha said, eyeing Steve who was still wearing his uniform. "When they wake up, you're just going to knock them out again with the smell."

Steve chuckled slightly and stood up, his whole body groaning in protest.

_I guess the super-soldier serum doesn't cover everything_, he thought wryly.

* * *

Now that Steve had washed up and changed, he felt the urge to go back to the medical floor and watch his fiends.

"Sir," Jarvis said, startling Steve who had been walking in the hallway lost in thought, "Tony has told me that it would be best if you stayed out of the medical wing for now. They are conducting surgery on Sam's ankle and figure it would be best without someone sitting in a chair and watching."

"Got it, Jarvis," Steve replied, his tone not matching the slight frown on his face.

_I guess that gets rid of that option._

As Steve was wondering what to do, his stomach growled.

_Well, that gives me something to do._

Stepping into the elevator, Steve pressed the button for the kitchen floor. The elevator descended smoothly and rapidly, and the doors thankfully opened quickly, allowing Steve to escape the terrible elevator music.

_Tony probably does that on purpose. Knowing him, it's probably an entirely different soundtrack when he's in the elevator._

The kitsch was easy to find and Steve took one step in and froze, filled with shock.

Tony was standing in the middle of the kitchen, covered in glitter from head to toe while the kitchen was covered in various scorch marks. Clint was messing with his bow and arrows, Bruce was drinking tea and reading a newspaper like nothing was happening, and Natasha just looked completely done with the whole affair. Tony turned and saw Steve, immediately paling.

"I can explain," he said, putting his hands up in the gesture that universally - in sports - said that he did something wrong.

"Honestly, Tony," Steve replied, "I don't think I want to know."

Tony let out an audible sigh of relief.

Clint coughed, slipping a suspiciously glittery arrow back into his quiver.

"I'd better put my gear back," he said, his gaze flicking from Tony to Steve and back again.

"Yeah," Tony replied, "do that. I'm going to clean up."

"Yeah," Bruce muttered from the table, "do that."

Steve smiled as Tony started walking out. However, as he passed Steve, he gave him a giant clap on the back. Before Steve could say anything, Tony made his escape.

"You have a little something on your back," Bruce commented, lowering his newspaper.

"I know," Steve muttered, twisting to see the glittery handprint that Tony had left. Steve sighed, giving up. "Well, as long as it doesn't get into my foot it'll be fine."

Bruce grinned slightly and went back to reading the news.

After ten minutes, Steve had made himself an omelette after significant help from Bruce, who claimed that he "didn't want to have an 'episode' because someone set the tower on fire while making food".

_I have no idea what time of day it is_, Steve thought, sitting down, _but I really want an omelette._

"You'd better appreciate my breakfast-making skills," Bruce said conversationally.

"I do," Steve replied, taking a large bit of his breakfast. After a few chews, he swallowed. "They're pretty impressive."

Bruce smiled and then drained the last of his tea.

"I have some research I need to get back to," he explained. Steve nodded and Bruce walked out, whistling quietly.

Steve finished his omelette in relative peace and then went back to his room, intent on sleeping. His whole body felt dragged down, weighted. His bed, on the other hand, seemed perfect. With a groan, Steve collapsed onto it, almost missing the one pillow. The mattress, too, was fairly hard, "uncomfortable" by most people's standards.

_Well_, Steve thought_, your beds are _too _comfortable._

With that last thought, his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep, one arm hanging off the bed, his fingertips just brushing the shield that was lying on the floor.

**Hey sorry about the wait and the fact that there's very little going on in this chapter (but there is time when the Avengers aren't kicking butt, ****unfortunately).**

**If you guys have any questions, feel free to PM me or ask it in a review. I will answer any questions as best I can!**

**(Also, please review if you're able!)**

**Until next time,**

**-RoR**

**P.S. it's probably best not to ask what happened between Clint and Tony in the kitchen. Some stories are better left unsaid.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Steve woke up to the sound of an explosion. Instantly, he was on high alert, jumping out of bed and reaching down to grab his shield. Unfortunately, because he had slept with his left arm hanging off the side of the bed, that limb was completely numb. Steve shook it a little, trying to get some blood flow going, but it was going to take a little while before he could really move his fingers.

"Sir," Jarvis said, his voice coming from the walls, "Mr. Stark wishes to inform the Avengers that the explosion was a result of him 'tinkering' with the arc reactor, and is nothing to be concerned about."

"Easy for him to say," Steve muttered, setting down his shield and running a hand through his hair.

_I wonder how Bucky's doing._

Acting on that, Steve got up again and padded down the hallway, his bare feet making very little sound on the flooring.

"The medical bay, I presume?" Jarvis asked once Steve had stepped into the elevator.

"Yeah."

As the elevator descended, Steve couldn't help but wonder why Bucky hadn't woken up yet. Steve was well aware that Bucky had been experimented on while he was with HYDRA, and that the evil organization had likely tried to recreate the super soldier serum on Bucky. No doubt Steve's serum was "better" - more refined - but Bucky still should've gotten up by now.

Steve was so lost in thought that he only got out of the elevator once Jarvis prodded him.

_C'mon, Bucky. You're usually more stubborn than this._

He reconsidered that thought darkly.

_Well, you were._

When Steve arrived in the room holding Bucky, he couldn't help the small flare of disappointment in his chest at the sight of his comatose friend. The machines still beeped softly, the only indication other than Bucky's rising and falling chest that Bucky was still alive.

Steve pulled up the chair that was permanently sagged from all the time he had already sat in it and sat down, not taking his eyes off the occupied cot in front of him.

He didn't know how long he was like that - he must've nodded off - but when he next awoke it was because Thor had just placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, hello, Thor," Steve said awkwardly, blinking and resisting the urge to rub his eyes. The Asgardian smiled wanly.

"Hello, old friend. I see you are back to your post."

Now it was Steve's turn to smile thinly.

"I guess I am. What brings you here, Thor?"

"The winged man asked that I tell you he must return to his home."

_I never even noticed that Sam's cot was empty._ Steve felt horrible.

"I'm sorry I missed him," Steve said lamely, knowing it didn't sound in the least bit adequate. Thor smiled.

"Be happy, Captain! He was in good spirits; you should be as well!"

"It's kind of hard to be, Thor," Steve replied quietly, gesturing to the unconscious Bucky, "when one of my friends is lying injured next to me and I can't help him."

"You underestimate your ally," Thor proclaimed confidently. "If he has clung to life this long, then he will not easily give it up!"

Somehow, Thor's simple words of support struck a chord in Steve, making him feel just a little bit more hopeful.

"Thanks, Thor," Steve said, standing and shaking Thor's hand. The asgardian, however, would have none of that formality and instead pulled Steve into a bone-crushing man-hug. Steve's air left him in a rush but somehow his bones didn't break. After a few moments of agony, Thor set Steve down again.

"Be strong, friend!" Thor declared. "For both yourself and your friend!"

Thor swept out of the room, having to duck in the doorway. Distantly, Steve remembered Tony grumbling about the number of perfectly good doorways that Thor's considerable stature had broken, and his smile became more genuine.

A few minutes later, it wasn't Thor nor Natasha who came into the room, but Tony Stark himself. His hair was wild and there was something black smeared across the right side of his face, but by this point Steve had learned that it was simply better not to ask.

"How you doing, Capsicle?" He asked, wiping his hands with a ratty-looking cloth that he soon stuffed into one of his back pockets. Steve, long since having given up on stopping Tony's nicknames, shrugged.

"I've been better, Tony," Steve replied. His eyes immediately went to Bucky and back to Tony. The resident self-proclaimed-and-proven genius nodded in understanding, moving to stand by a row of machines that were tracking Bucky's vitals.

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Steve could work up the nerve to ask Tony the question that had been preying on his mind since he woke up.

"Hey, Tony?"

"What is it, Gramps?"

Steve sighed inwardly but pressed on. "Why is Bucky still unconscious? Surely whatever kind of serum he has in him would've kicked in by now, right?"

Tony was silent for a few seconds and then sighed.

"Honestly, Steve," he said, "Bucky should've woken up by now." Steve knew that Tony's use of real names meant that he was actually getting serious. "I've been working day and night to figure out the weapons that those jerks were using, and that explosion earlier was me figuring out the answer."

"Care to share the answer with the concerned audience?" Steve asked, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.

"I'll share all of it in a meeting later," Tony replied, "but basically they were pretty advanced tech. They work by shooting pulses of electrical energy at the target strong enough to fry an unarmored person."

"I figured that much out myself," Steve said with a frown. Tony nodded.

"I'm sure. However, the shots will do more than just burn and/or electrocute the victim; the electricity is somehow directed to the brain in order to disrupt normal thought processes."

"So it's not really physical damage," Steve muttered, thinking through it, "but mental."

Tony nodded. "Exactly. Sam's injury was fairly easy to treat, but Bucky's gotta recover all on his own."

Steve sighed and went back to looking at his friend, a pit of dread in his stomach.

_His mind is delicate enough as it is-_

Steve's thoughts were abruptly cut off when he saw pale blue eyes staring back at him.

"Bucky!" Steve cried, instantly getting to his feet. Tony cursed, dropping something that he had been fiddling with.

"A little warning, Spangles!" He said, pulling out another trinket and leaving the other one on the floor.

"Ow," Bucky groaned, closing his eyes for a moment. "Loud."

"Sorry," Steve quickly apologized, dropping his voice to normal levels. "How are you feeling?"

Bucky was quiet for a moment, the _beeping_ of the machines the only noise besides distant clicks from between Tony's hands.

"Like someone tore apart my skull and then put it back together with nails," Bucky eventually groaned, beginning to sit up.

"Whoa, Bucky," Steve said, gently pushing his friend back down. "Not quite yet. You're still injured."

Bucky looked like he was going to deny that last fact and then sighed, obligingly lying back down.

"Fine," he muttered. His eyes darted around the room, which had automatically dimmed once Bucky had complained of head pain. "I'm guessing we won."

Steve grinned.

"Don't we always?"

**Heyyy so I did this entire chapter in about forty minutes so sorry about the poor quality since the bell rings in like three minutes. I hope this chapter explains why Bucky didn't just get up because of the serum he has, since that one nice person who reviewed was nice enough to point out that error on my part.**

**Hopefully, more people (hint hint) will review, and I'll see you guys next time!**

**-RoR**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

The Avengers were assembled in the meeting room that Bucky had first been pulled into, each one looking expectantly at Tony. It was the day after Bucky had woken up, and he was recovered enough at this point to walk to the meeting room practically unassisted. His arm was back to its usual silver and he was now slouched in a chair, looking like he was seriously considering putting his feet up on the table. Steve sat next to him, looking like he was seriously considering warning Bucky against putting his feet up on the table.

"Man of Iron," Thor called, lazily spinning Mjolnir, "is this meeting to begin?"

Bruce, who was sitting next to Thor, looked extremely nervous at the spinning weapon in Thor's hands. He subtly shifted in his chair in order to be slightly farther away.

"Yeah," Tony replied, "one sec. Just fixing up some designs Fury sent me."

"_Sent_ you?" Steve asked doubtfully. Tony gave him a brief, innocent smile.

"He can't get mad about what's good for him, right?"

There was a collective sigh around the table as Tony finished up whatever SHIELD toys he had been tinkering with. Abruptly, Tony clapped his hands.

"Let's get started!"

"Finally," Clint muttered, leaning back in his chair.

"As you all know," Tony began, ignoring Clint, "I've been taking a look at the tech we got off those guys. Now, I called this meeting because I finally figured a few things out about it that we all need to know."

"So share it," Clint muttered again. This time, he got a warning look from Natasha.

"First things first." Tony pressed a button on the holo-table and a three-dimensional hologram shot up, displaying the two weapons the Avengers had encountered. Steve winced at the whip while Bucky glared at the cannon. The other Avengers looked largely nonplussed. "These are - obviously - the weapons those guys were using. I was taking a look at them when I noticed this."

The hologram zoomed in on both images, focusing on a tiny logo imprinted almost invisibly on the side.

"That's the Stark logo," Bruce commented, leaning forward and frowning. "What's it doing on those weapons?"

"That's what I asked myself!" Tony said, smiling at Bruce. "So, I went through my company's history because I don't remember anything like these things being made."

"And . . .?" Steve prodded, knowing that Tony liked having group participation.

"After extensive and difficult research," Tony replied, "I discovered that they were some pet projects of my father's. He never finished them and had them locked away with the rest of his toys in a place called the Vault."

"And . . .?" Natasha prodded, exchanging a glance with Steve.

"The Vault was broken into a few weeks ago," Tony finished. "Most of the tech inside had already been moved to a shipping boat - I guess I did that at some point - but then that boat was attacked by pirates. The crew was killed and the contents of the Vault was removed. There was no trace of where it went."

'Until now," Steve muttered, resting his elbows on the table.

"Until now," Tony affirmed. "Whoever has the stuff from the Vault is obviously not going to be using it to fight crime; we're going to have to be careful when we go out from now on."

"Tony," Bruce said, "if it's your technology, shouldn't there be a way to shut it down?"

"Technically it's my dad's," Tony pointed out, "but either way there's not. The tech has been tinkered with to make it even more powerful, and the only way I can figure out to disable it is smashing it. Bruce, I'm going to need your help to figure something else out."

"Me?"

"Yes. Engineering may not be your specialty but you're not the dullest knife in the drawer here."

"I resent that!" Clint called.

"No one said your name," Bucky muttered, speaking up for the first time. Even Thor cracked a smile, his normally boisterous personality more subdued.

Clint muttered something under his breath but went quiet, though he didn't look happy about it.

"Thor," Tony said, getting down to business, "I want you and Terminator to go and spar in the auxiliary training rooms. Bruce and I will work. Steve, Natasha, and Clint, I want you three to go on patrol. I don't like that those two weapons showed up here of all places."

"What's wrong with that?" Natasha queried, picking at her nails.

"'Twas too close to home," Thor declared.

"Yeah," Tony added. "A little bit too close for comfort. Just humor me; Jarvis will let you know if anything important happens here."

"Fine," Natasha muttered, standing up smoothly. Clint tried to follow suit and ended up falling out of his chair, thudding painfully onto the ground. A quiet "ow" drifted up from the floor, prompting both Steve and Bucky to roll their eyes.

"Get up," Natasha sighed, reaching a hand down to help Clint up. The second Clint was almost to his feet, Natasha dropped him. He fell back down, landing on his backside. From Natasha's smug expression, Steve could tell that that action had been intentional.

"Not cool," Clint groaned, this time climbing to his feet unassisted.

"But funny," Steve commented, getting to his feet as well. Bucky's eyes followed him, but Steve's old comrade didn't move, nor did his somewhat sullen expression change. "Let's go on patrol."

"Yay." Neither Natasha nor Clint sounded particularly excited about patrolling, though it was mostly Clint. The trio walked out.

"Let us spar, friend!" Thor loudly declared, startling Tony, who had become absorbed in the three-dimensional holograms of the weapons.

"Whatever," Bucky muttered, standing up. Thor was still swinging his hammer around, nearly catching Bucky on the arm as they walked out.

"Y'know," Bruce commented as they left, "I don't think Bucky's going to get along with Thor very well."

"What makes you say that?" Tony asked distractedly, messing with something in the hologram.

"I'm not sure," Bruce said thoughtfully. "It's just a feeling."

**Another short chapter (kind of a filler). The next one will be Bucky and Thor training, plus Steve and friends on patrol. Please review if you can!**

**-RoR**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

To Bucky, the gym was absolutely huge. It was at least fifty meters across, forty meters wide and just as tall. The entire thing was coated in some type of metal that Tony Stark claimed was designed to dispel electricity in a way that fueled the local power grid. He had later added that the metal had only come in when Thor started staying with the Avengers more frequently.

There were various obstructions set up; half-destroyed buildings, collapsed walls, cars - anything could be used as cover. Some areas of the floor were uneven, adding to the difficulty of moving around.

Instead of the regular training rooms, Tony Stark had insisted that Bucky and Thor spar in the underground areas. He claimed something along the lines of "property damage". Bucky didn't particularly care about what happened to Tony's precious building, but he figured it would be best to humor him. The guy wasn't half-bad, and Bucky had a grudging respect for his genius since Tony had made his arm.

Thor was standing about ten meters away, still swinging his hammer in a mesmerizing sort of way. He seemed excited.

_Electricity and my metal arm_ . . . _Did Stark think this through?_

"Are you ready, my friend?" Thor called, stopping the swinging of his hammer. With a deep breath, I nodded, dropping into a defensive stance.

"Let's do this."

* * *

"Seeing anything?" Steve asked from his position behind Clint. Both of them were on Clint's hover bike, skimming the rooftops of the city. Natasha was on the ground, her gear allowing her to blend in more easily with the people below.

"Nothing," Black Widow replied. "Just a lot of dirty looks."

"Maybe you should stop shoving them out of the way," Clint replied, banking to the right to avoid a large skyscraper. Steve could see his reflection in the glass as they passed by.

"And get pushed myself? I don't think so."

Steve heard Clint sigh, or it could've been the wind. He wouldn't have been surprised either way.

"We should move to another sector of the city," Steve suggested. "We've been over this one ten times."

"That's because Natasha is a very slow walker," Clint responded. Steve thought he heard something from Natasha's end of the comms channel, but he couldn't be sure what it was.

* * *

Bucky dove to one side as a blast of lightning struck the ground where he'd been standing.

_Apparently playing it easy isn't something Thor's good at. Just my luck._

Already, Bucky's body was protesting the sudden movement and he felt like someone was slowly squeezing his head together, but he'd by far had worse. In comparison to what HYDRA had done, a little headache was a breeze.

Another blast of lightning missed Bucky by centimeters, raising the hair on Bucky's skin.

_There's no way I can get to him without getting fried . . ._

Bucky flipped one of his knives out of its sheath and, as he was diving out of the way of another one of Thor's attacks, he threw it straight at his opponent.

"Nice throw, friend of Steve!" Thor called, deflecting the blade almost effortlessly with his hammer. It hit the ground, well out of Bucky's range.

_I'll have to use my environment to get to Thor. He's nearly invulnerable in open space._

Thor suddenly shifted his stance to one that Bucky recognized. With more urgency than he had been displaying seconds earlier, Bucky ducked into a nearby building and stayed low. The thick, concrete wall exploded into pieces above him, spraying Bucky with dust and varying sizes of debris. Briefly, Bucky got a glimpse of Thor's hammer hovering in midair, but then it zoomed back into the main arena.

There was a sudden silence. Bucky could feel his heart pounding with the thrill of the fight.

_Thor isn't going to be an easy opponent._

* * *

"I've got something," Natasha stated, a brief static interrupting the signal.

"What?" Clint asked, nearly hitting the roof of another building. Steve had long ago given up on warning Clint, realizing that Clint wasn't listening.

"I said," Natasha repeated, sounding more than annoyed, "that I found something."

"Where?"

"Sector three, near the green warehouse."

"On it," Clint said, accelerating. "This'd better be good!"

Steve just rolled his eyes, holding tight to avoid falling off.

_At least there aren't any helicopters today._

* * *

Somehow, Bucky had made it to the third floor of a small, parking-garage like structure without getting smote. Lightning arced around him, sending the strangest light patterns to the walls.

_How did Tony make it so that my arm was not a conductor?_ Bucky wondered. He knew that metal attracted lightning, but for some reason his arm wasn't.

Bucky's hand tightened on his remaining blade.

_If I could get my other one, this would be slightly less impossible. Thor is a long-range attacker; I've only got close-combat weapons, and even if I got close enough I have no doubt that he's skilled in close combat as well._

More lightning arced around the room, coming uncomfortably close to Bucky's position. In a few more seconds, Bucky would be fried.

Taking an estimate from where the lightning was coming from, Bucky suddenly stood up, took aim, and threw his knife with his left arm within a second of the last bolt of lightning.

Thor, who had been perched on top of a nearby building, was completely unprepared for the knife hurtling towards him. The blade, with a sickening noise, buried itself in the asgardian's side.

* * *

Clint set down the hovercraft a block away from the green warehouse Natasha had described. Immediately, Steve jumped off, more than happy to have his feet back on solid ground.

"At least I'm better at driving than Tony," Clint commented, seeing Steve's look of relief. Steve smirked.

"Son, there were better tank drivers in the military."

Clint rolled his eyes and grabbed his bow and quiver, slinging both onto his back. Steve did the same with his shield.

Footsteps echoed in the dark and both men got their respective weapons ready, aiming at a spot a few meters away.

"Relax, gentlemen. Last I checked I was on your team."

Black Widow strode around the corner, in the process of discarding a jacket. Her stingers were clipped around her wrists, glowing a dangerous blue.

Exchanging a glance, both Captain America and Hawkeye lowered their weapons.

"A little warning next time would be great," Hawkeye said, pressing a button on his hovercraft. Immediately, the purple-tinted vehicle lifted into the sky, out of the reach of any potential hijackers.

"It's good to keep on your toes," Black Widow replied. Then she got down to business. "There were multiple flashes of light coming from that warehouse; some man in a black trench coat went in and didn't come out. I'm a little suspicious."

"Good enough for me," Captain America said. "Hawkeye, take a position in one of the adjacent buildings with a good sightline through the warehouse's skylight. Widow, you come in through the back."

"And what are you going to do?" Black Widow asked, raising an eyebrow. Captain America smiled.

"I'm going to ring the doorbell."

* * *

Thor dropped to one knee, holding the hilt of the knife buried in his body. Bucky watched, unsure of what to do.

_Was I supposed to hit him? He was using full force. It was only fair that I return the favor._

After a few moments' deliberation, Bucky jumped out of the parking structure and landed with a roll. The impact stung but it was faster than going back down the normal way. A minute later Bucky walked up next to Thor.

"You okay?" Bucky asked. The words "I'm sorry" just wouldn't roll off his tongue.

"'Tis nothing to worry about," Thor grunted, straightening up. "I have sustained worse in the battles of Asgard."

To Bucky's surprise, Thor yanked the knife out of himself. There was very little blood on the blade and even less leaking out of the wound, which was already beginning to close.

"Perhaps," Thor eventually suggested, "we should train in a less confrontational manner."

"Yeah," Bucky agreed. "Holding back isn't something I'm good at."

Thor smiled in a strained way and the two began to walk back down to floor level. There was training equipment there that would not involve Thor and Bucky attacking one another with lethal force.

**Yay people reviewed! (and by "people" I mean one person a few hours ago, which I really do appreciate by the way).**

**Seriously. I can see how many people look at my story and a rough estimate of how many see each chapter. It's pretty obvious how over a hundred people aren't reviewing (and I can understand why three quarters of that number don't whether it be that you're too busy, you can't, or you think my story sucks). Either way, there's at least ten of you that just aren't, and while that's not the end of the world for me, I would really like to hear from you guys.**

**Anyway, there is more action coming up since I figured you people would want that. It's hard to tell with very little feedback.**

**Adios,**

**-RoR**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Steve took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do. Even though he knew he'd done this a thousand times before, he still felt that familiar knot of apprehension in his stomach even though he kept telling himself that he was _trained _for this.

"I'm in position," Hawkeye said over the comms. "There's a few spots I can't see, but as long as you're not pressing yourself up to the wall on the right you're fine."

"Can you see anything?" Natasha asked, speaking quietly. Since she had to sneak in the back, stealth was more of an issue for her than it was for Captain America and Hawkeye.

"It's hard to tell," Hawkeye replied. "I can see movement, but whoever it is doesn't seem to enjoy decent lighting."

"The weather isn't exactly helping," Black Widow added. Clouds had rolled in, threatening rain. The city was plunged into an early darkness because of that, which wasn't really helping the patrolling Avengers.

"Be careful, Cap," Hawkeye warned. "You're practically going in blind."

"Give a shout when you want me to save you," Black Widow added, her tone completely serious. Captain America smiled slightly, pulling his shield off his back. The green warehouse loomed in front of him, at least ten meters tall and as run-down as a building could get without collapsing. It was hard to tell if the green color was from paint or mold.

"Here we go," Captain America muttered to himself, rolling out his shoulders to get the blood flowing. He took a deep breath and then strode forward, throwing open the large doors that had stood in front of him.

* * *

Bucky and Thor had decided on training dummies. They were simple, but significantly less fatal. Thor didn't begrudge Bucky for impaling Thor with a knife, and Bucky didn't mention the fact that Thor had been trying to blast him with lightning. The result was a very awkward silence while the two men practiced their hand-to-hand combat.

After a few minutes of intense concentration, Bucky stepped back from his dummy. His right hand stung – his left was fine, of course – and he let his eyes wander. Only then did he realize that Thor's dummy was a lot thicker and heavier looking than Bucky's, and that it appeared to be breaking in several different places.

_I'm not regretting not going into close combat with Thor_, Bucky thought, cracking his knuckles. The movement didn't work with one of his hands, but the effect was the same.

Thor suddenly stopped hitting his dummy and stepped back, shaking out his hands in a gesture that was all too familiar to Bucky. Catching his comrade's look, Thor smiled.

"'Tis much better than combat, is it not?" He asked brightly. Bucky nodded silently. "If you would like more of a challenge," Thor added, "Tony has dummies that move in the ring behind you."

Turning, Bucky realized that there was a boxing ring where before he could've _sworn_ there had been nothing.

_Dummies that move? Does he mean robots or people?_

Bucky decided that Thor meant robots and, after nodding his thanks to his teammate, Bucky walked over to the ring. It was the size of the boxing rings Bucky remembered from the old days, and Bucky easily ducked inside. Immediately, a voice came from the walls.

"Would you like to initiate training session one, sir?"

_It's that voice Steve called "Jarvis"._

"Yes," Bucky replied, not really sure what to expect.

"Initiating sequence. If you are fatally wounded, I will be sure to report that flaw in the programming to Mr. Stark."

_A sarcastic voice in the wall. Great._

A panel in the other side of the ring slid open and a humanoid, white robot climbed out, made of some kind of hard material that Bucky couldn't place.

Needless to say, Bucky was caught slightly off guard when the robot lunged at him.

* * *

There were four men dressed in various types of black clothing standing near the door when Steve burst in. Each of them reacted with surprise when Captain America infiltrated their top-secret lair, and that surprise only compounded when a certain shield knocked the weapons out of one guy's hands.

"Care to explain what you gentlemen are doing?" Captain America asked mildly as he caught his shield.

They stared at him in shocked silence. One of them began to reach for what was presumably a gun in his belt.

"Please don't," Cap said softly, switching his shield to his right hand. The man didn't listen, of course, and pulled out a pistol. Captain America immediately ducked behind his shield, hearing and feeling the bullets _pinging _off the metal.

_Why do they always do what I tell them not to?_

"Hawkeye!" Captain America called, seeing a bullet hit the floor a few inches too close to his foot.

"One sec, Cap. They're moving towards the wrong wall. I can't get a good shot off."

"Luckily for you boys," Black Widow cut in, "I'm here."

Two seconds later – to Captain America, they felt like full minutes – the gunshots stopped one by one. Each pause was accompanied by a man's pained yell and the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Slowly, Captain America lowered his shield. He saw Black Widow adjusting one of her stingers, standing over four unconscious men.

"Natasha," Clint said slowly, "are they alive?"

"Of course," Black Widow snapped, looking and sounding indignant. "I'm not barbaric. Give me some credit, Hawkeye."

"That's what you said in Budapest and we both know how well that worked out."

"We're not talking about Budapest," Black Widow snapped.

"Black Widow, Hawkeye, focus," Captain America ordered. "We need to figure out what was going on here. Widow, get those crates over there. I'll secure these four."

"On it," Black Widow replied, taking one last glance at the unconscious men at her feet before walking into the shadows of the building.

* * *

The robot tackled Bucky, driving him to the floor. Bucky rolled with the motion, ending up on top of the robot – which turned out to be a lot heavier than Bucky was expecting. Quickly, Bucky got in two quick jabs and then jumped back before the robot could counter. Bucky's punches left deep dents in the metal of the robot's head, but as Bucky watched the metal slowly smoothed out again, making it seem as if Bucky had never hit the robot at all.

_What in the-?_

The robot and Bucky slowly circled each other. Bucky noted that the robot moved like a normal person, and didn't seem to have any obvious weak points.

_But if it's a robot . . ._

Quickly, Bucky launched an attack at his opponent. The robot dodged, barely, and kicked Bucky in the stomach. Bucky hit the ground hard, his air leaving him in a rush. However, the robot was still turned the wrong way, and with a savage kick while still down Bucky sent it flying into the ropes on the other end of the ring. It lay there, stunned.

Taking advantage of its immobility, Bucky took two hands and wrenched the robot's head to the right. Something cracked and the robot spasmed. Bucky continued the motion, repeating it over and over until finally the robot's head snapped off, accompanied by a large number of wires and circuitry.

With a grin on his face, Bucky got up and tossed the robot's head to one side, feeling pretty proud of himself. He didn't notice the headless robot slowly getting back to its feet.

* * *

Captain America finished securing the four men who had been in the warehouse with specially made handcuffs that were nearly indestructible and then tied a long, sturdy rope around all of them, ensuring that they were held in place, at least temporarily.

"Anything, Widow?" He called, unable to see through the darkness of the warehouse. Outside, the day was fading quickly; it was already past three in the afternoon and the darkness was only growing.

"Whoever secured these crates didn't want them opened," Widow replied curtly, sounding strained. "I'm having a little difficulty opening them."

"Do you need any he-?"

"No. You should get the other crates."

"I'll just sit here," Hawkeye put in. "Contribute to team spirit!"

"You like sitting in high places," Captain America said, slinging his shield over his back and walking to the other side of the warehouse opposite where Black Widow was. There was a momentary pause, and then Hawkeye sighed.

"True."

It didn't take long for Captain America to find a stack of crates against the wall. They were large and bulky looking, making Captain America wonder how they were transported to the warehouse without attracting attention.

_It must've been done at night when no one was outside. A holiday, maybe?_

"I've almost got a crate open," Black Widow stated.

"Got it," Cap replied, isolating one crate. He checked it over, searching for the top and the crack between the lid and the rest of the crate. Keeping that in mind, he pulled his shield off his back and positioned himself carefully, mentally picturing what he was about to do. The darkness wasn't helping, but Captain America trusted his instincts.

In one smooth movement, Captain America swung his shield, jamming the edge into the crack between the lid and box. Instantly, the box popped open, various nails and splinters flying into the air before falling to the ground.

"What was that?" Hawkeye asked.

"Don't worry," Captain America reassured him. "I was just opening a box."

Captain America could've sworn that he heard Black Widow mutter something, but he couldn't be sure.

"Well, Cap, what's in the box?" Hawkeye asked.

Suddenly, there was a large crashing noise that echoed throughout the warehouse. It was brief, but enough to startle Captain America.

"Widow!"

"Sorry," the woman replied without a trace of regret. "One of the crates fell."

"Fell?" Hawkeye questioned. "Because from my angle it looked like-"

"It fell," Widow interrupted icily. Hawkeye instantly backed off.

_Those two never stop._

Captain America pulled out a small flashlight he kept on his person and flicked it on. The small beam of white light immediately illuminated the sides of the crate, highlighting a logo that Captain America hadn't seen before.

_How in the world . . .?_

Disregarding the logo on the crate itself, Captain America peered inside the box, shining his light on the items inside.

"I don't believe it," Black Widow muttered over the comms. Captain America agreed.

Inside the crates were at least twenty of the electrified whips that the criminals from the previous fight had used.

Each of them were emblazoned with the Stark company logo.

"Natasha," Steve breathed, "are you seeing this?"

"If you're seeing Stark tech weapons," Natasha replied, "then yes."

"Wait, _what_?" Hawkeye cut in. "Tony's stuff is in there?"

"Remember those three guys we fought the other day?" Widow asked.

"Yeah. So?"

"Their weapons are in here."

There was no response from Hawkeye. Steve waited a beat, feeling the knots in his stomach begin to emerge again.

"Hawkeye?" He asked. Again, there was no reply.

Suddenly, a sharp screech came from the earpiece and Cap ripped it out of his ear, feeling his head pound from the sudden noise. Black Widow was next to him in an instant, the faintest traces of panic in her expression.

"Cap," she began, "Hawkeye's been compromised."

"I know. We need to get out of here."

They turned to go, prepared to get backup, but the door to the warehouse shut with a loud bang. Immediately, the building was plunged into darkness. Captain America shut off his light and prepared himself for a fight that never came. Something pinched his neck, the sensation immediately followed by an irresistible drowsiness.

Just before Captain America blacked out, he managed to press the distress beacon on his belt.

Then everything went black.

**Holy supportive reviews, Batman!** **You guys are amazing (and really I apologize for being so harsh last chapter that was my wounded pride speaking).**

**Allow me to address one or two things I noticed in the reviews:**

**1. Yes, my chapters are short. In my regular story on the other site, the chapters tend to be in the 2 or 3 thousand range, but that's a much different kind of storytelling. For fan fiction, it's easier for me to separate the story into much smaller, more manageable pieces. And if I did longer chapters, that would mean it could take up to three times as long for me to get a new chapter out, so I figured this would work better.**

**2. You people must be great friends in real life like wow. I thought about what you guys said all day and I finally managed to put my feelings into words as to why I really like reviews. So here's a metaphor/comparison/simile/whateverIdon'tlikeEnglish**

**Writing is like yelling into an empty room. You get all your feelings back, plus the echoes that you can later improve on. It's moderately satisfying. **

**Writing with feedback is like yelling into a room with other people. You get your own feelings back, plus the echoes and voices of other people that offer their own kind of noise to the mix. It's more satisfying.**

**SO yeah. It's not a great way to explain it, but it's all I could come up with.**

**Hopefully, those of you that are able to can keep reviewing/reading/doing ****things!**

**-RoR**

**(also, with the author's note, this chapter is over 2,300 words. That makes it the longest yet, I think)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

"Sir, Mr. Stark asks that all Avengers please report to the main meeting room."

"Not now, Jarvis!" Bucky yelled, half-stuck in a strangle hold curtesy of a certain headless training robot. "I'm busy!"

_And this robot is starting to become a real nuisance._

"Mr. Stark says that the matter is quite urgent."

"Not _now_!"

Bucky could feel his airway begin to get cut off. He was well aware of Thor watching the training match with a smile on his face, Mjolnir strapped to his belt.

_When this is over_, Bucky thought angrily_, I am going to make sure you suffer just as much, Thor. This isn't funny._

"Having a problem, friend?" Thor called heartily.

"Shut up!" Bucky yelled back, his voice somewhat strangled. With a huge effort, Bucky grabbed the robot and flipped onto his back, hoping to crush the thing with his body weight, or at least slow it down. However, the robot was too smart for that, and like a spider it climbed over Bucky as he fell and continued to strangle him even as Bucky hit the ground.

"Sir, Mr. Stark says that this matter cannot wait and he _insists_ that you come to the meeting room."

"Say it one more time," Bucky gasped, kicking the robot off of him and gaining a brief moment's respite, "and I will rip your AI core to shreds!"

Jarvis was quiet, though Bucky doubted that it was because of his threat.

_Do AIs even have cores? It kind of just came out of my mouth . . ._

Bucky had no more time to be distracted since the robot was leaping at him again. However, Bucky was prepared and he ducked the first swing, rolling towards a certain object nearby. Before the robot had time to pounce on him again, Bucky chucked the robot's detached head at the body hard enough to rip a hole clear through the metal body.

The robot sparked for a moment, twitching slightly, as if it was trying to function even with a huge hole in its circutry.

"Just stay down," Bucky growled, moving closer. He pulled his left hand back into a fist and then let loose with a left hook that made even Thor raise his eyebrows. The robot clanged against the wall of a building twenty meters away and stayed in the dent it had made, suspended above the ground by the twisted metal. "And screw you," Bucky added, shaking out his metal hand out of sheer habit. He had to admit that the new arm felt fantastic.

"Are you ready to go to the meeting now, sir?" Jarvis asked, his voice somehow sounding tired of Bucky's antics.

"I'm not done training," Bucky replied shortly. Thor nodded his agreement. Apparently Tony didn't pull as much weight in the Avengers as he liked to think. However, Jarvis' next words changed Bucky's mind completely.

"Sir, Mr. Stark says that Captain America and Black Widow have gone missing."

Bucky froze, his hearing going out after hearing only the first name. For a moment, he was frozen in place, and then he was sprinting out of the boxing ring, heading towards the elevator.

"I take it you have finally decided to go to the meeting, sir?" Jarvis queried, somewhat sarcastically.

"Shut up, Jarvis," Bucky growled, sliding into the elevator. Thor followed close behind, the same worry Bucky was feeling mirrored on the asgardian's features.

Jarvis listened and the elevator ride was cloaked in a terse silence. When the doors opened on the meeting floor Bucky and Thor were closely matched for speed in getting to the table. Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson, and Clint Barton were already there. Sam, seeing Bucky's confused look, waved.

"This is an emergency," he said by way of explanation. "My day job can wait."

Bucky nodded in understanding as he slid into his seat.

"Now that everyone's here," Tony said, shooting Bucky and Thor a pointed look. Both men looked slightly ashamed, Thor more so than Bucky, "we can finally get started. Clint, you're up."

Clint took a deep breath, actually straightening his terrible posture for a moment while he gathered his thoughts.

"Cap, 'Tasha and I were on routine patrol," he began. "At first, nothing happened, but then 'Tasha said that she saw suspicious activity in a green warehouse in sector three. We went there and Cap set me up on a building a little ways away that had a good view of the skylight of the warehouse. Cap took care of the four guys inside and 'Tasha went to investigate the crates there, but that's when the comms. cut out."

"Someone hacked the comms. channel?" Tony asked, disbelief in his voice. "That's not possible!"

"You'd better downsize your ego, Stark," Clint growled, "because now 'Tasha and Cap are missing." He took a deep breath, obviously slightly more focused on Black Widow than Captain America, but continued his story. "When the comms. cut out, I tried the backup channels, but nothing was working. I was about to go down to the warehouse myself, but I was attacked by ten guys."

"They got the drop on you?" Bruce asked with a frown. "I find that hard to believe."

Clint sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was distracted. They got all the way to the top of the roof before I noticed them climbing over. I took nine of 'em out, but the tenth hit me with some kind of stun dart." Clint held up the offending object and then handed it to Tony, who had a concentrated look on his face. "It didn't do much, just immobilized me for a minute while the guys got away. When I could move again, Cap and 'Tasha were gone. I went to investigate the warehouse, but whatever had been inside had been moved. If the whole thing wasn't planned I'll eat one of my arrows."

"This isn't good," Bruce muttered, glancing at Stark. "What are we going to do?"

"First things first," Tony replied. "We can try tracking them with the comm. units I gave them, but I doubt that's going to work." He tapped a few glowing keys on the table, waited a minute, and then sighed. "Whoever's got them is blocking the signal."

"Do we have any other means of hunting these criminals?" Thor asked, a surprising intensity to his voice. He sounded almost offended that anyone had done something so stupid as to attack the Avengers.

"There's always good old-fashioned detective work," Tony replied, frowning. "I'll start scanning the city for our missing members. Everyone else, you should get some rest."

"That's it?" Bucky asked, speaking for the first time.

_That's all they're doing to get Steve back?_

"Relax, Terminator," Tony said calmly. "Chasing rabbits isn't going to get us anywhere. The best thing you can do right now is-"

"Rest?" Bucky interrupted. "Steve is out there somewhere and you want me to _rest_?"

"Yes," Tony replied, his voice hardening. "I promise we're going to do everything we can to get Steve and Natasha back."

Bucky couldn't help the frustration he was feeling, but what Tony was saying made sense and there was nothing Bucky could think of that would refute Stark's statements.

_Why did it have to be Steve?_ He thought to himself, unconsciously clenching his hands into fists and then relaxing them. He didn't notice the wary looks that the remaining Avengers were giving him, nor how close Clint's hand was to his bow.

With a frustrated sigh, Bucky turned and left the room, his steps short and angry. The fact that there was nothing he could do _right now_ to help Steve was infuriating so Bucky took his frustrations out on his dresser once he had reached his room. Splinters flew into the air but Bucky continued smashing, not caring about how cut up his right hand was getting in the process.

_I'm sorry, Steve. I'm going to get you back; it's the least I can do._

Bucky forced himself to calm down, realizing that destroying the wooden furniture wasn't getting him anywhere. Night was falling, and with a sigh the Winter Soldier pushed himself to get ready to sleep.

Looking in the mirror, Bucky was slightly disturbed by the coldness he was seeing in his own eyes, but when he blinked it vanished.

Slightly uneasy, Bucky forced himself to lie down and close his eyes, even though every cell in his body wanted him out on the streets and searching for Steve. He had to listen to Tony; Bucky was technically his subordinate, after all, despite the fact that it didn't seem like it.

It took Bucky two hours to fall asleep.

**Hey so I didn't get a lot of reviews last chapter but that's okay because I trust that my readers are enjoying this story anyway (though I would _really_ appreciate getting more reviews from you guys).**

**On a side note, my exams are coming up so my updates in the next week probably won't be coming, not that I have a real schedule anyway.**

**Please review!**

**-RoR**


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